Casper’s opportunities for attracting data centers and other high-tech business would improve with a connection to the Interstate 80 fiber opt… Read more

CHEYENNE — More than 1,000 Internet users in central and southern Wyoming will soon see a jump in their Internet speeds, thanks to an $11.4 million federal loan announced Monday.

Dubois Telephone Exchange will use the money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Community Connect program to build and improve fiber optic cable lines to customers in Dubois and Baggs, as well as rural customers in Fremont County, the Little Snake River Valley, and on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

In all, the USDA announced $103 million in grants and loans to telecommunications companies in 16 states to help expand broadband Internet access to those areas of rural America that haven’t been reached by the high-speed service or are underserved.

Policymakers, public interest groups and telecom companies are seeking to bridge the digital divide by reaching even the most remote pockets of the U.S. with broadband internet, hoping to improve economic and educational opportunities there.

Dubois Telephone Exchange General Manager Mike Kenney said his company will use the loan to remove old, outdated copper cables to about 1,100 residences and businesses and replace them with fiber optic cable, which can deliver more information at a faster rate.

Part of the loan will also be used to improve infrastructure and build two new fiber optic cables between Jeffrey City and Wamsutter and Baggs and Craig, Colorado.

Baggs and Jeffrey City, Kenney said, currently rely on a single fiber optic cable for Internet, meaning that if that cable somehow goes down, area residents would have no alternative way to get online.

The loan is expected to create 100 jobs and save up to 150 others, according to a USDA media release. Under the terms of the loans, DTE has to finish the projects within five years, Kenney said.

The new cables and improvements, Kenney said, are being built in anticipation of a new fiber optic line built by Freedom-based Silver Star Communications that will bring broadband service to about a dozen counties in western Wyoming.

Kenney said the improvements will bring economic benefits to the entire area, as businesses and individuals increasingly require fast, reliable Internet service.

“They are demanding more and more, greater broadband speeds for home-grown businesses or whatever they do out there in rural America,” Kenney said. “The only way that we can get faster speeds to them is not with existing copper and existing digital technology, but to go to the next generation of broadband.”

Without the loan, Kenney said, DTE would likely need 10-15 years to raise the money to begin work on the projects.

The need for improved broadband access in rural areas isn’t just a Wyoming problem, but a nationwide concern, said Jonathan Adelstein, the agriculture department’s rural utilities service administrator.

“There’s a big gap that remains between rural and urban areas because it’s just hard to make a business case in rural areas,” Adelstein said in a conference call with reporters on Monday. “Rural areas’ future depends upon access to broadband and we’re not where we need to be today.”

As many as one in 10 Americans can’t get Internet connections fast enough to engage in such common online activities as watching video or teleconferencing, and two-thirds of schools have broadband connections that are too slow to meet their needs, the Commerce Department reported earlier this year.

Last year, the Federal Communications Commission released a national broadband plan that set a goal of hooking up 100 million U.S. households to broadband connections of 100 megabits per second by 2020. That’s at least 20 times faster than many existing home connections.

Copyright 2015 Casper Star-Tribune Online. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

No Comments Posted.

Untitled Document

Civil Dialogue

We provide this community forum for readers to exchange ideas and opinions on the news of the day. Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude language and personal abuse are not welcome. Moderators will monitor comments with an eye toward maintaining a high level of civility in this forum. Our comment policy explains the rules of the road for registered commenters.

If your comment was not approved, perhaps...

You called someone an idiot, a racist, a dope, a moron, etc. Please, no name-calling or profanity (or veiled profanity -- #$%^&*).

You rambled, failed to stay on topic or exhibited troll-like behavior intended to hijack the discussion at hand.

YOU SHOUTED YOUR COMMENT IN ALL CAPS. This is hard to read and annoys readers.

You have issues with a business. Have a bad meal? Feel you were overcharged at the store? New car is a lemon? Contact the business directly with your customer service concerns.

You believe the newspaper's coverage is unfair. It would be better to write the editor at editors@trib.com, or call Editor Jason Adrians at 266-0545 or Content Director David Mayberry at 266-0633. This is a forum for community discussion, not for media criticism. We'd rather address your concerns directly.

You included an e-mail address or phone number, pretended to be someone you aren't or offered a comment that makes no sense.

You accused someone of a crime or assigned guilt or punishment to someone suspected of a crime.